Runaways
by Lottsoflove97
Summary: Charlie's family is moving out of the Gates. Andie is abused by her alcoholic father. Together they decide to run away, leaving everything behind that they have ever known. This is their life on the run, trying desperately to hold on to the only thing they care about. Each other. (No Supernatural powers and Andie is 16, Charlie is 17) Rated T for language content. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Charlie's POV**

Her beautiful eyes filled with tears, the water distorting their baby blue color. I held her delicate face between my hands, pressing my lips to her forehead. She buried her head in my flannel, and I surrounded her with my arms, holding her as close as I could. A tear fell down my cheek, landing in her soft, strawberry blonde curls.

"Charlie, I can't let you go." Her voice quivered and broke, the sobs wracking her small frame.

"I know Di, I know." I whispered to her. Once I was told we were leaving the Gates, I called her as soon as I could get to the phone. I had to see her. I had to see Andie. She was over in record time, sporting a couple new bruises on her wrists and arms. Her dad had never been good to her, and ever since her mom died, he had been hurting her with increasing frequency and intensity. I couldn't leave her behind, I just couldn't. I look after her, I help her, I love her. My brain rattled around for a moment, desperately trying to think of a solution. Suddenly, it hit me.

"Run away with me." The words were out of my mouth before I could think about it. It was a statement, not a question. I felt her freeze in my arms, her head tilting upwards to face mine, her perfect mouth tipping into the slightest smile.

"Do you mean it Charlie? Are you sure?" She asked, her voice wavering again.

"I love you Di. I can't imagine a world without you. This is what I want, and I hope its what you want to." Her smile spread even further across her face.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She leapt forward and kissed me, her lips sweet on mine.

"Okay," she continued, her eyes wild and bright. "If were gonna do this, we have to do it right. We'll wait till eleven. We have so much to do! We both need to get our money out of the bank and pack clothes. I'll go to the store and buy food and supplies with my dad's alcohol money. He's out on business, won't be back until tomorrow." We sat down on my bed, my arm around her rubbing slow circles on her back.

"We'll travel on foot," I started looking into her blue eyes, "We'll leave through the access gate on Miller Street, and go through the Reserve. There's a bus station about twenty five miles from here. We'll hop on a bus there." She snuggled her face into mine, grabbing my hand.

"I love you Charlie Monahan." She looked up at me adoringly.

"And I love you Andie Bates."

xxx

**Andie's POV**

Clink. Clink. Clink. The familiar sound echoed through the room. Running over to the door, I grabbed my backpack, filled with clothes, food, water, blankets, and $2600 in cash. My hand closed around my gold heart-shaped locket, the only thing I had left that belonged to my Mother. I wish she was here, I thought solemnly, while silently opening the door and slipping outside.

"Hey." I whispered, grabbing Charlie's hand. His pale eyes shone in the darkness, his mouth spreading into a wide smile.

"Hi gorgeous. We better get going." My heart fluttered at the sound of his voice, my adrenaline pumping. We took off running, hand in hand, sprinting until we reached the access gate. Charlie silently pulled the handle and the door swung out, leading out into the dark forest, lit only by the shining of the moon. I shrank into him, my hand resting on his muscular chest.

"Don't worry babe." he said, panting slightly from the exertion. He turned on his flashlight, illuminating the forest floor. He took my hand again, leading us into the night.

xxx

We had been walking for hours. The forest was colored by rays of pale light, the colors ranging from light pink to orange to blue. It was early, around five am or so. The Monahan's shouldn't be waking up for another two and a half hours. We stopped in a clearing, and I sat down on a grassy hill and stole a sip of water out of the bottle.

"How you holding up?" I asked Charlie, his head snapping to attention at the sound of my voice. I knew it was hard for him, leaving his family. His parents had always loved him and cared for him, and his sister was the most important thing in his life.

"Fine. A little tired." He admitted sheepishly, running a hand through his boyish chestnut hair. His eyes looked far away, and I knew he was thinking of his family. "I left her a note." He said suddenly, taking a sip as well. "Dana. Oh God I'll miss her."

"Charlie I'm-" I began before he cut me off.

"No Di. I'm not having second thoughts. I love you. I need you. I will always know where my family is, but you're my future. I love you." He pulled me into him, kissing me deeply. He tasted like peppermint, and I breathed him in. My hand moved to his face, his hands clutching me to him. My heart started beating erratically, my mind losing all sense of everything but his lips on mine, his hands on me. He flipped me over so I was on top of him, straddling him, and he pulled me so close that I could feel his heart beating too. His hand clutched my ribs and I gasped. He pulled away suddenly, aware of my pain.

"Di what's going on? Are you okay? Shit what did I do?" He asked nervously, pulling away from me.

"No," I started, panting heavily. "It wasn't you, it was my bruise." I said, as the burning sensation in my side became less noticeable.

"Can I?" He asked, gesturing to my ribs. I nodded to him, the pain dulling down. He slowly lifted up the bottom of my shirt, exposing all the new bruises my father had left. His eyes widened and his jaw became taut. His fists balled in the fabric of my shirt, his eyes clouding with anger.

"I still can't believe he could do this to you." He said, looking away and easing my shirt down. "I am so happy we got you out of there." I clutched his face with my hands, looking him in the eyes.

"Thank you." I said quietly, kissing him softly. "We better keep moving." I said again, getting off of his lap and grabbing my backpack of the ground. We continued going North, about nine miles from where we started. Finally, the sun breached the horizon, and the day truly began. It got hotter and hotter as we trekked through the forest, the wet leaves on the ground muffling our footsteps. A peaceful silence surrounded us, the birds chirping and critters running around making the only sounds besides our footsteps. My hand grabbed his, and as the day grew hotter, I stripped down to my gray cotton tank top.

**xxx**

**Nick Monahan's POV**

The sunlight filtered in through the blinds, the high pitched beeping of the alarm waking me from sleep. I kissed Sarah on the forehead, waking her up. She stretched out and we both pulled ourselves out of bed, maneuvering around our boxed belongings. Making our way to the kitchen, we knocked on the kids doors, making sure they were getting up. We were finally moving today, down to Florida. I know its gonna be hard on both of them, especially Charlie. Sarah and I were chatting about it over coffee when Dana came running down the stairs in a panic. She was clutching a piece of white paper to her chest, crying hysterically.  
"MOM!" She shouted, diving into Sarah's arms and hugging her tight. "HE'S GONE!" I snatched the letter out of her hands while my wife soothed our baby girl.

_My Dana,_

_You don't know how hard this decision was for me to make. I love you and I love our family more than anything in the world. But I couldn't leave Andie behind, I just couldn't. You see, she's my future. I love her. And someday I hope you will understand why I left. Keep out of trouble, and be good for Mom and Dad. Remember that it's not their fault I'm gone. I love you kiddo. I'll get in touch with you as soon as I can. Tell everyone not to worry. _

_Yours Forever, Charlie_

**xxx**

**Charlie's POV**

It was around one pm now, and we had been hiking through the forest for close to 14 hours. Andie was yawning loudly, and our pace had become increasingly slow as the day wore on. My watch said we were about twelve miles away from The Gates. Mom and Dad have definitely woken by now. There's probably an entire search party out for us right now. That's the only thought that keeps me moving through the moss covered forest floor. I push leaves and branched out of our way. My breathing is labored, my body aching. We come to a small clearing in the forest, well out of the way of any kind of trail.

"Andie," I start, pulling her into my side. "Let's rest babe. We need it." She smiles up at me weekly and sets down her backpack on the bed of pine needles. We take refuge under a tree with a big winding trunk, and branches spreading out to greet the sky. I clutch Andie close to me, her body pressed into my side, her head on my shoulder. Her curls tickle my chin, and our eyes close heavily. I listen to her breathing stabilize, her body relaxes under my touch, and its not too long later when my body sucumbs to the same exhaustion.

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Charlie's POV (24 hours since they left)**

The shifting sunlight wakes me. The sunlight is just disappearing through the trees, the dusk settling through the sleepy forest. I jiggle Andie awake, and stretch out my aching body. I pull out some fruit from the backpack, passing it to Andie first and then taking some for my own. We eat a small meal under the tree, laughing and talking and reminiscing. Her laugh fills up the space in the clearing, the distinct bell like sound resonating. It makes me smile.

"Come on Di. Lets walk for a few more hours and then we can make a camp and continue in the morning. It's easier to travel by daylight." She simply nods, shrugging on her gingham shirt as the temperature cools. The sounds of night creatures surrounds us. The breaking of twigs, fluttering of wings, guttural sounds of night animals. We continue in silence, our flashlight lighting our way through the dense canopy, the emerging stars doing the rest. The familiar burning feeling returns in my legs as we continue walking. Andie starts humming a sweet tune, and I can't help but smile. That's my girl. We walk hand in hand, avoiding the roots that are determined to trip us.

**xxx**

"Here. Let's rest here." Andie says, stopping her humming temporarily. She kneels to the ground and unzips her backpack, pulling out a blanket and smoothing it over the pine needles. I watch her fluid movements and smile, her elegant arms and tiny wrists pulling out sandwiches for us to eat for dinner. I sit down on the blanket and lean against the tree, the bark resting against the back of my flannel shirt. I reach out for her, grabbing her around the waist and pull her into my lap. She lets out a tiny surprised squeal and starts to laugh as I tickle her stomach. She squirms in my arms, the sandwich falling out of her hands as she struggles to defend herself. She leans closer to me and kisses me, that familiar feeling of fire spreading through my veins. My hands stop moving, and instead encircle her tiny waist and pull her closer. She pecked my lips with hers briefly and begins to laugh again.

"What's so funny?" I ask, perplexed. She just smiles, grabbing her sandwich off the ground and unwrapping it. I shake my head at her, and do the same.

"Hey Charlie? Do you remember our first date? When we went to the Ice Cream Parlor and you were trying to impress me by acting like you knew how to work the Soda Machine-" She erupted into giggles, her eyes filling with water from laughing so hard. "And you squirted it all over yourself?" She was short of breath now, giggling ferociously, her face bright red.

"Hahahaha I do remember that." I replied, and I started to laugh a little too. "And the man made me clean it up with the tiniest green rag he had?" I started laughing harder, my breath hitching.

"And everyone called you The Janitor for weeks!" She continued, her baby blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. Our laughter subsided, and we finished our dinner quickly as the temperature sunk. I pulled out another blanket and pulled Andie close to me, snuggling her into my side. My lips connected with her hairline for a lingering moment, before placing a sweet, soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you." I whispered to her in the darkness. And it was true.

**xxx**

**Andie's POV (36 hours)**

My eyes fluttered open at the early morning sounds of the forest. My eyes adjusted to the light filtering in through the trees. Charlie's breath was steady, he was still sleeping. Our legs were tangled together, and his hands were holding me tight to his side. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and kissed his cheek. He groaned and opened his eyes. Seeing me, the pale color lit up and a smile spread across his sleepy face.

"I love waking up next to you." He said, making my heart melt with his goofy smile. He ran a hand through his hair and propped himself up on one forearm, looking around sleepily before flopping back onto the blanket.

"Come on Charlie, up up up!" I sang into his ear softly. He groaned again, mumbling to himself. He never was a morning person. I pushed the blanket off of me, disentangling my legs from his. I stripped off my shirt, rummaging around in my bag for a fresh one. I found a peach shirt and slipped it over my head, my fingers clutching my locket at my throat. Sounds of life emerged from Charlie as he got himself up and started stumbling around our makeshift campsite, growing more awake by each passing moment. I packed up the blankets and started to hum again, one of my favorite tunes this time.

"Lets get to the bus station today," Charlie said, gobbling down an improvised breakfast of water and dried cereal. "I need a shower..." I laughed despite myself, as I stole some of his water. We were almost out of water, which wasn't good.

"Hey, I'm gonna check my cell phone." Charlie said, powering it on. We had agreed to keep them turned off so we could avoid being tracked by our signals. As the cell turned on, it showed dozens of missed calls, voicemails and texts. Charlie breathed in a sharp breath before playing the first one.

"_CHARLIE SANDERS MONAHAN!" _It was Charlie's dad's angry voice that came through the speaker. _"I swear to god WHEN I GET AHOLD OF YOU-"_ Charlie fast forwarded to the next message.

"_Charlie sweetie," _It was his mom's nervous voice, _"When you get this please call us! We just want you to come home! Please. We need to know you and Andie are safe. Please."_ Next.

"_Andie, it's your dad. Please call me. I'm sorry." _Next.

"_Charlie please this is getting ridiculous-" _Charlie snapped the phone shut fiercely, his eyes watering. I knelt down next to him, brushing the tears from his face. He had a family that loved him. He had a perfect life. But he gave it all up for me. Waves of guilt washed over me as I held Charlie's head to my chest.

"I am so sorry Charlie. I never wanted you to get hurt." I said, my voice breaking. "I never should of-"  
"Hey!" He said, snapping his head up to look at me, his eyes red. "If we didn't run away I would be half way to Florida by now. I can't live without you Andie. This is not your fault. Sure I'll miss my family, but being with you, right here right now, is so much more important." I smiled, my watery vision returning to normal. He stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder, offering his hand to me. My fingers wrapped around his, his hand giving off warmth. He pulled me up effortlessly, and we started walking again.

**xxx**

It wasn't until two thirty that we finally emerged from the forest, covered in leaves and dirt and running low on food and water.

"Look!" Charlie said, pointing towards a building in the distance. "It's the station!" We smiled at each other and broke into a run, my backpack slamming into my bruised spine. I could make out more details the closer we got to the building. The first thing I saw was a large digital clock, followed by the outlines of people waiting on the side of the road. There was almost twenty people there, all lugging suitcases and day bags. We slowed down as we approached the window hand in hand.

"We made it." I said, incredulously. He smiled down at me, and planted a quick kiss on my lips before gesturing to the sign in front of us.

"Look at all the places we could go." He started, "St. Louis, Jacksonville..." Oh how about Colby?" He asked, scratching the back of his head and suppressing a yawn.

"Colby, Georgia? That's perfect!" Colby was a small little beach town in Georgia, the perfect place to go if you didn't want to be found. Charlie walked up to the ticket window and bought two for the 3:15 bus for Colby. He handed me my cardstock ticket and I clutched it to my chest. It was my ticket to freedom, my ticket to a life with someone who I cared for, and who cared for me as well. We sat on one of the benches, smiling and sharing secrets until the bus pulled up in a cloud of exhaust. The green wheels slowly stopped spinning and a rush of hot hair hit us from the decompression of the door. I walked up the carpeted stairs, presenting my ticket to the bus driver, a balding man in his fifties with a beard and glasses. He flashed us a big smile.

"Good Afternoon Folks! You heading to Colby?"

"Why yes we are!" I returned, smiling back at him.

"Then get on board!" He gestured with his meaty arm to the back of the bus. I choose the last row of seats, and as I stretched out my legs across the aisle seat, Charlie settled into his by the window. Leaning into him, I felt the cold of the air conditioning cool off my skin, as the humidity vanished. The engine roared to life beneath us, causing the bus to grumble and shake. I took Charlie's hand in mine and squeezed. And in that moment, I vowed never to let go.


End file.
